Mother and son jailed following XL bully attack on eight-year-old boy in Bootle

A mother and son have been jailed after a little boy suffered serious injuries in a "savage and sustained attack" by an XL bully.

The eight year old victim, who cannot be named, was attacked in the communal area of a block of flats in Wadham Road, Bootle in Merseyside, Liverpool Crown Court was told.

During the incident, on 10 February 2024, he suffered serious injuries to his scalp, face and hands.

Amanda Young, 49, was jailed for 20 months after admitting being the person in charge of a dog which caused injury while dangerously out of control in a public place, on Monday 13 May.

Her son Lewis Young, 30, was given a two-year prison sentence after he pleaded guilty to being the owner.

During sentencing, Honorary Recorder of Liverpool Judge Andrew Menary said: “The circumstances of the attack are truly awful.

"The nature of the injuries caused to the young victim, then eight years old, were catastrophic and on any view life changing.

“The events of that day will no doubt haunt the memories of everyone who witnessed the savage and sustained attack by the dog you had decided to keep as a pet.”

Charlotte Kenny, prosecuting, said the young boy had been at the flats to play with a friend when the attack happened.

The court heard the dog was “unrestrained” and “uncontrolled” when it started to attack the boy, having been allowed to wander freely around the communal parts of the block by Amanda Young.

Ms Kenny said neighbours tried to pull the dog from the boy, including Anthony Atkinson, who grabbed the dog by its neck to try to stop the attack.

Mr Atkinson described seeing the canine latched on to the boy’s shoulder and neck area, the court heard.

Other witnesses said the dog was “frothing at the mouth” and shaking the boy’s head, the court heard.

The court heard Amanda Young was in charge of the dog while her son, a delivery driver, was at work.

She later told police she had had three or four gins, which may have been double measures, that afternoon.

The court heard the dog was categorised as having substantial features of an XL bully-type dog.

Since 1 February, it has been a criminal offence to own an XL bully in England and Wales without a certificate.

Lewis Young told police he had owned a cloth muzzle but his dog had chewed through it so it could not be used.

He said he was “not sure” if the animal was an XL bully and had been planning to have it tested.

He said he had owned the dog, called Snoop, for two or three months after seeing him advertised on Facebook.

The court heard the victim was taken to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and underwent surgery to try to reattach his scalp but it was unsuccessful.

Ms Kenny said he also had a fracture to his skull consistent with the dog’s tooth penetrating his scalp.

Judge Menary said: “This little boy has had multiple surgeries to graft skin to his head.

"He will be left, on any view, with extensive facial and scalp scarring and profound psychological scarring. The injuries are just dreadful.”

In a statement, the victim’s mother, who was in court with relatives, said her son had to stay in hospital for more than two months and had not yet returned to school.

She said: “He is petrified when he sees a dog and will physically grab his dad’s or my hand.”

Daniel Travers, defending Lewis Young, said he was “devastated” about the attack.

Mr Travers said: “He [Lewis Young] will forever regret what happened and he knows he and his mother were completely to blame for what happened.”

Martine Snowdon, defending Amanda Young, said she had mental health difficulties and had volunteered at a community centre.

She said she had “genuine and profound remorse”.

The pair have been disqualified from owning a dog until further order.